Penda, in collaboration with Canadian company Tmber, have proposed what they are calling the Toronto Tree Tower, an 18-story residential block that would stand 62 meters tall, with a modular structure made from cross-laminated timber (CLT), reported The Dezeen. Wood would also clad the building's staggered walls, and trees would grow from the homes' balconies. "The warm, natural appearance of wood and the plants growing on its façade bring the building to life and that could be a model for environmentally-friendly developments and sustainable extensions of our urban landscape," said Penda partner Chris Precht. The Toronto tower would encompass 4,500 square meters of residential area and 550 square meters of public space, which would include a café, a children's daycare center, and community workshops. Penda is renowned for incorporating plants into its architecture. A modular hotel built from bamboo, a tower in India with hanging-garden façades, and a vast network of plant-filled building blocks for Beijing's horticultural expo are among recent proposals. Furthermore, its use of CLT may be a sign of things to come, as architects predict that CLT and other engineered timbers will overtake concrete and glass as this century's architectural "wonder material.” Penda favors this method of construction as it is faster, quieter, uses less waste and is more environmentally friendly. "Our cities are assemblies of steel, concrete, and glass," said Precht. "If you walk through the city and suddenly see a tower made of wood and plants, it will create an interesting contrast." What is a ‘community workshop’? A community workshop is an occasion where people from within a community gather together and engage in some form of interaction which allows them to share their knowledge, experiences and ideas. These workshops can take various forms and perform different functions, including: Information exchange, including both giving information to and collecting information from workshop participants; Consultation with participants about their views and opinions; Teaching / Learning new skills and abilities; Building relationships between participants

North Korea's famous pyramid-shaped hotel Ryugyong has been renovated, despite never having welcomed a single guest, reported The Daily Mail. The 105-story Ryugyong Hotel - the world's tallest unoccupied building - in the capital Pyongyang has been spruced up and awarded two new walkways. The renovations may be a sign that Dictator Kim Jong-Un could be about to finish the project started by his grandfather in 1987, branded 'the Hotel of Doom'. From a distance, the glassy, greenish-blue Ryugyong looks like it's ready for business. But it is believed to be far from complete inside and possibly even structurally unsound. Work on the building started in 1987 while Kim's grandfather Kim Il Sung, North Korea's founder and 'eternal president,' was still alive. It was supposed to open in 1989 and would have been the world's tallest hotel - surpassing another in Singapore that was built by a South Korean company. But a severe economic crash and famines in the 1990s left North Korea in no position to pump funds into the hotel's construction, and it stayed little more than an embarrassing concrete shell for well over a decade before Egypt's Orascom Group - which was also key in establishing the North's cellphone system - helped pay for work to complete the building's shiny exterior in 2011.

A nearly 500 meters bridge for hikers built as the longest hanging pedestrian bridge in the world opened near the Swiss town of Zermatt. The 494 meters long and 65 centimeters wide bridge named the Europe Bridge, hangs up to 85 meters above Grabengufer ravine. It replaces a previous bridge that had been damaged by rock falls. The Zermatt Tourist Board says it is the world’s longest, although a 405 meter bridge in Reutte in Austria hangs 110 meters higher above the ground. Built by local company swissrope/Lauber Seilbahnen during 10 weeks, the bridge completes a section of the Europaweg trail, a high-altitude walking route offering panoramas of some of Switzerland’s highest peaks, including the Dom (4,545m) and the Matterhorn. The new bridge, whose cables weigh about eight tones, is equipped with a system to prevent it from swinging, the Zermatt Tourist Board said.

A Chinese firm state-owned giant China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) has signed a deal with Moroccan partners The General Construction Company of Casablanca (TGCC) to build the tallest skyscraper in Africa in the capital of Morocco Rabat, Xinhuanet reported on Sunday. CRCC will take responsibility for 60% of the project, which is budgeted at US$380 million, while their Moroccan partners, The General Construction Company of Casablanca (TGCC), handle the other 40%. The 55-storey tower will reach 250 meters high, with the adoption of ecological and sustainable design concepts. It will include offices, hotels and luxury apartments, according to the report. The tower will be the highlight of a large-scale project to develop the Bouregreg valley in Rabat, a key component of the 2014-2018 Integrated Development Program dubbed "Rabat, City of Light, and Moroccan Cultural Capital." The new project also involves the construction of several innovative facilities, including the Grand Theatre of Rabat, the Arts and Culture House, the National Archives of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Archaeological Museum. Currently, the tallest building in Africa is the Carlton Centre in Johannesburg at 223 meters in height. The tallest building in Morocco is the Casablanca Twin Center at a mere 115 meters.

The first photovoltaic solar power station to build in Armenia. The «Masric 1» station needs about US$ 50 million investment. The station's planned capacity is 55 MW and according to estimation for Masric region area 1 square meter solar panel can generate up to 1800 kW/h energy per year. The first stage of international tender was completed a few days ago. 10 foreign companies were chosen to continue participation for the second stage in September. Preferences will be given to the company that will provide most competitive offer. The construction of solar power plant is planned in 2018.